Jacoby Ellsbury welcomes Red Sox to New York

NEW YORK — Red Sox fans might resent Jacoby Ellsbury for defecting to the other side of baseball’s most storied rivalry. Much of what appealed about the offer the New York Yankees made to Ellsbury last offseason was that he could remain a part of the

NEW YORK — Red Sox fans might resent Jacoby Ellsbury for defecting to the other side of baseball’s most storied rivalry. Much of what appealed about the offer the New York Yankees made to Ellsbury last offseason was that he could remain a part of the rivalry.

“I feel blessed to play for the Red Sox, and I feel blessed to be here, to be part of that rivalry still,” Ellsbury said before Thursday night’s game, his first game against his old team.

Ellsbury even conceded that he sometimes wondered what it would be like to play for the Yankees while the two teams were tangling on the field during his career, especially as his free agency approached.

“I always thought it was a decent possibility,” he said. “I think of the Yankees as a top-flight organization — world-class. I think of the championships, the history, the great players that played here. When I signed over here, those were reasons why I did.”

John Farrell certainly didn’t expect the potential awkwardness of facing his old team — Red Sox starting pitcher Clay Buchholz was the first roommate Ellsbury had in the minor leagues — to affect Ellsbury in any way.

“He’s been on a pretty visible stage his whole career — playing in Boston, playing in World Series,” Farrell said. “That never seemed to take away from how he went about his game.”

Ellsbury and reliever Matt Thornton will receive their World Series rings from Farrell and Ben Cherington before Friday night’s game at Yankee Stadium. But the outfielder said he’s been able to make a seamless transition into the clubhouse of his former rival. Both Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira called him to welcome him shortly after he signed.

“Professional baseball is such a small group of guys that there’s that common bond,” he said. “Even when you see guys in the offseason, different teams, you always seem to come together. I feel like I knew a lot of these guys. They welcomed with open arms from the get-go.”